PUBG weapon damage stats become increasingly important as you begin to think more competitively about how you play the game.

Different weapon stats are important at different times, too; DPS isn't very important for sniper rifles, for example, but it's one of the most important stats for SMGs.

Here on this page we'll outline all the essential stats and numbers for each of PUBG's weapons, as well as providing our own choice of the best weapons in PUBG, with our own reasoning, further down the page.

The tables below are ordered by Shots to Kill, with the fewest shots to kill ranked highest. That doesn't mean that's always the best way to evaluate the weapons though. For a sniper rifle it's essential, as you're trying to kill players with as few shots as possible. For others like ARs and SMGs, the Time to Kill is much more important, with the lower the time the better.

Time to Kill is when the weapon is firing at the chest of an opponent who is wearing Level 2 Chest Armour, which is the most likely standard for when you're playing decent-level games from the mid-game onwards. Likewise Shots to Kill for Chest and Head are both for Level 2 Chest Armour and Level 2 Helmets.

Times are in seconds.

Weapons marked with an asterisk * are only available in air drop crates, so don't plan to play around these being available in every game!

The best PUBG weapons - and why

Now you have all the essential info, it's time to do a little thinking about how these play out in-game, because cold, hard stats aren't everything. Here are our thoughts on the best weapons in each category:

Sniper Rifles - The air drop-exclusive AWM is the only rifle in the game powerful enough to kill an unarmoured player with a single shot to the chest, but the Kar98k is the next best thing that you can get from regular play. It's the only non-crate rifle that can one-hit-kill a player in a Level 3 Helmet, is quite readily available, and requires minimal attachments. Our next favourite is the SKS, thanks to the sustained semi-auto fire and great potential when it's maxed out with attachments.

Assault Rifles - Despite being bottom of the pile for shots-to-kill, the rapid fire rate of the M249 gives it the shortest time to kill of any assault rifle. The Groza also absolutely shreds - you've probably seen the highlight videos of people using it to wipe out entire squads - but both of these are crate-only. The best regular gun is the M416 in our opinion, thanks to its potential for kitting out with attachments, flexibility of fire rate and the ability to attach an 8x scope. The M16A4 is also extremely viable, and actually has a faster time to kill than any bar the M249 if you can master rapid-tapping for burst fire.

SMGs - Contrary to some opinions, we prefer the UZI to all other SMGs. That's because it has by far the smallest bullet spread (roughly half that of its nearest rival), which is essential for SMGs as they rely on full-auto use, unlike ARs and Snipers. It's common, requires minimal attachments to be effective, and the sheer panic inspired by its rate of fire can be enough to put off inexperienced foes. Next up is the Vector, but this is only viable when you have an Extended Mag, as its base capacity of 13 rounds is just too low on its own.

Shotguns - The S12k comes out on top thanks to the added utility of automatic shotgun fire. The 'farmer' shotgun S686 actually has a slightly higher max rate of fire for its two rounds - but of course there are only two rounds you can fire at a time. The pump-action S1897 is a last resort.

Pistols and Sidearms - The only sidearms worth carrying, outside of emergencies where you can't find anything else, are the Sawned-Off Shotgun and P18C. The Sawed-Off is probably the best, as sidearms are really for emergencies only, and with that you only need to carry a few rounds for it to be handy. The P18C is a bit of a powerhouse with full attachments though, acting like a spare SMG if you're stuck for close-range options.

Melee and Other - If you're out for a laugh, the Crossbow is great fun, especially if you get good with it and can find a Quiver. Back in the days of fog maps it was also actually almost pretty good, delivering completely silent kills from nowhere. Really though, outside of emergencies, the only thing you should be using here is the Pan, which should always be picked up on sight and acts as some lovely "level 4" armour for your butt. It's saved us more than a few times and is also surprisingly good for damage as a last resort.

Other things to consider - Finally, it's worth noting above all that any weapon is viable if you're good enough at using it, and personal preferences always come into play. We like the UZI because of its condensed spread, for instance, and will almost always use it - but you might prefer shotguns, or maybe the M416 or AKM for close-range work because you can control them more effectively. Things change quite frequently with PUBG, too, so keep checking back after major patches and we'll update this page to note them. Who knows, maybe the VSS might have a resurgence?